Great civilisations are built upon multiple layers of accumulated knowledge. By examining the remains of Maya cities, we can learn valuable principles of architectural design and how their dynamic society—in a hostile environment and in a relatively short time—was able to blossom and create such harmonious architectural masterpieces.The vivid images that accompany the text offer examples of art and architecture from many Maya cities spanning some 3,000 years, from the Preclassic through the Postclassic period and into modern times. Treister also examines Maya domestic styles and the richness of their textile motifs.By observing these ancient cities Treister seeks to unlock the secret of the Maya’s mysterious collapse. The energy, enterprise, and pride that enabled these people to create such majesty may hold the seeds of their destruction. In their buildings, Treister finds not only the mortar that held their civilisation together but the competitiveness that was the cause of its ruin as well.

It may be the most interesting and yet loneliest spot on earth: a volcanic rock surrounded by a million square miles of ocean, named for the day Dutch explorers discovered it, Easter Sunday, April 5, 1722. Here people created a complex society, sophisticated astronomy, exquisite wood sculpture, monumental stone architecture, roads, and a puzzling ideographic script. And then they went about sculpting amazing, giant human figures in stone. This richly illustrated book of the history, culture, and art of Easter Island is the first to examine in detail the island’s vernacular architecture, often overshadowed by its giant stone statues. It shows the conjecturally reconstructed prehistoric pole houses; the ahu, the sculptures’ platform, as a spectacular expression of prehistoric megalithic architecture; and the Easter Island Statue Project’s inventory of the colossal moai sculptures. This publication is made possible in part by a generous contribution from Furthermore: a programme of the J. M. Kaplan Fund.

The books in the Florida and the Caribbean Open Books Series demonstrate the University Press of Florida’s long history of publishing Latin American and Caribbean studies titles that connect in and through Florida, highlighting the connections between the Sunshine State and its neighboring islands. Books in this series show how early explorers found and settled Florida and the Caribbean. They tell the tales of early pioneers, both foreign and domestic. They examine topics critical to the area such as travel, migration, economic opportunity, and tourism. They look at the growth of Florida and the Caribbean and the attendant pressures on the environment, culture, urban development, and the movement of peoples, both forced and voluntary. The Florida and the Caribbean Open Books Series gathers the rich data available in these architectural, archaeological, cultural, and historical works, as well as the travelogues and naturalists’ sketches of the area in prior to the twentieth century, making it accessible for scholars and the general public alike. The Florida and the Caribbean Open Books Series is made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, under the Humanities Open Books program.

Great civilisations are built upon multiple layers of accumulated knowledge. By examining the remains of Maya cities, we can learn valuable principles of architectural design and how their dynamic society—in a hostile environment and in a relatively short time—was able to blossom and create such harmonious architectural masterpieces.The vivid images that accompany the text offer examples of art and architecture from many Maya cities spanning some 3,000 years, from the Preclassic through the Postclassic period and into modern times. Treister also examines Maya domestic styles and the richness of their textile motifs.By observing these ancient cities Treister seeks to unlock the secret of the Maya’s mysterious collapse. The energy, enterprise, and pride that enabled these people to create such majesty may hold the seeds of their destruction. In their buildings, Treister finds not only the mortar that held their civilisation together but the competitiveness that was the cause of its ruin as well.

It may be the most interesting and yet loneliest spot on earth: a volcanic rock surrounded by a million square miles of ocean, named for the day Dutch explorers discovered it, Easter Sunday, April 5, 1722. Here people created a complex society, sophisticated astronomy, exquisite wood sculpture, monumental stone architecture, roads, and a puzzling ideographic script. And then they went about sculpting amazing, giant human figures in stone. This richly illustrated book of the history, culture, and art of Easter Island is the first to examine in detail the island’s vernacular architecture, often overshadowed by its giant stone statues. It shows the conjecturally reconstructed prehistoric pole houses; the ahu, the sculptures’ platform, as a spectacular expression of prehistoric megalithic architecture; and the Easter Island Statue Project’s inventory of the colossal moai sculptures. This publication is made possible in part by a generous contribution from Furthermore: a programme of the J. M. Kaplan Fund.

The books in the Florida and the Caribbean Open Books Series demonstrate the University Press of Florida’s long history of publishing Latin American and Caribbean studies titles that connect in and through Florida, highlighting the connections between the Sunshine State and its neighboring islands. Books in this series show how early explorers found and settled Florida and the Caribbean. They tell the tales of early pioneers, both foreign and domestic. They examine topics critical to the area such as travel, migration, economic opportunity, and tourism. They look at the growth of Florida and the Caribbean and the attendant pressures on the environment, culture, urban development, and the movement of peoples, both forced and voluntary. The Florida and the Caribbean Open Books Series gathers the rich data available in these architectural, archaeological, cultural, and historical works, as well as the travelogues and naturalists’ sketches of the area in prior to the twentieth century, making it accessible for scholars and the general public alike. The Florida and the Caribbean Open Books Series is made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, under the Humanities Open Books program.